Weary families count blessings

Gabriella Coslovich

IN YEA last evening, the sun glowed an eerie orange, hanging ominously in a sky thick with smoke and ash. Southerly winds had caused the Murrindindi fire complex to flare again, to what extent it was unclear.

Amid the unpredictability of bushfires, one thing seemed reasonably certain: for the people of Yea and neighbouring towns such as Flowerdale that had already felt the brunt of fire, the Yea Recreation Reserve was the safest spot to be. The hilly, bushy terrain around Yea in the Murrindindi Shire was tinder dry — fuel for an opportunistic fire.

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David Coles from the Yea Urban Fire Brigade said: "Everything is a danger, southerly winds being so erratic. Everything's dangerous until it's out, and we will get this mother."

The danger is expected to increase today, with southerly winds up to 45 km/h predicted.

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Mr Coles was expecting it to be a long night.

The CFA's rescue team would be on alert for vehicles running into trouble because of poor visibility on the roads. And, in the worst case, the CFA would "do asset protection for the town".

For the Bartlam family of Kinglake and Flowerdale, last night was a welcome chance to sleep horizontally. Since the fires hit Kinglake and Flowerdale on Saturday, the family, and their petrified cat, had been sleeping in their car.

The cat had been placed in a cattery, and the Bartlams were being upgraded to the relative luxury of an army tent.

Yesterday afternoon, the army rolled into Yea, setting up tents for the homeless and for those forbidden to return to their towns.

"It's the first time we have a bed instead of four us in the car," said Ray Bartlam, who managed to escape the devastated town of Flowerdale in the nick of time. He had been helping to defend his son Mark's house but they decided it was time to leave when they saw flames flick over the mountain.

Their neighbour, Rodney Pitt-Wood, who had gone to help them, also realised that it was time to go.

"It came so quick," he said. "I was talking to my sister on the phone in Werribee and she said, 'Don't be a hero, get out if it hits'. I grabbed the dogs and got in the truck and took off. There was just a convoy of cars coming here."

The Bartlams thought Sunday would be their last night in Yea, but the wind change put an end to that. Last night, Ray Bartlam, his son Mark, Mark's partner, Diana Smith, and their 11-month-old baby, Dean, were bunkering up in their army tent, their three dogs on leads outside.

"It will be a bloody sight better than the car," said Ray. "I'm getting too old to sleep sitting up."

Ms Smith, who had driven through flames from Kinglake West with baby Dean to reach Yea, was resigned to staying for as long as necessary.

"Until it's safe for me to take him home," she said, feeding baby Dean.

"If it's not safe for me to take him home, I am not going to risk his life. That's just selfish."

Lin Gunter, the Mayor of Murrindindi, who had cut short her holidays in Queensland to return to her fire-ravaged shire on Saturday, was also among those taking shelter on the oval. She had not yet been able to make it back to her home in Flowerdale.

"We have been told our place is OK," she said. "Like many people, we can't get back with the wind flaring up. It's not safe for people.

"A lot of people want to get back to have a look," Cr Gunter said. "We have had such a tragic loss of life. We don't want to lose any more."

Her husband, Brenton, added: "I wish the wind would stop. Simple as that."